


Trial and Error

by cascadePhoenix



Category: Magic: The Gathering
Genre: Aether Medicine, Don't Try This At Home, Gen, Inventors are idiots, Kaladesh, One Shot, Pre-Inventors' Fair, mentions of vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 04:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13696851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cascadePhoenix/pseuds/cascadePhoenix
Summary: Artificer Aani Kokal has been working for months on a way to create aether potions that can heal. Clearly, the best way to test this is on herself.Jhanda is done with their idiot artificer friend.





	Trial and Error

This was it. The big test. Aani had been working on this machine for months now, trying to create a form of aether that would be edible, beneficial, _healing_. There wasn’t really a _good_ way to test it. She felt it would be inhumane to test it on animals. Jhanda, her aetherborn friend, offered to try it themselves when she told them about it, but that could invalidate her results. They were literally made of aether. (Could they even eat, either? Aani hadn’t thought about that.) The solution, then, was obviously to self-test it. A little risky, perhaps, but she hadn’t been able to come up with another way. Jhanda would be with her to absorb the extra aether, if necessary. If this worked, it would be a huge break in the aether sciences, opening up a whole new field. Aether medicine! They could put the miraculous energy throughout their world to use healing people, maybe even extending the lives of aetherborn without the need for life-draining abilities. Every time she thought about the possibilities, it was like the shell of the world split around her, revealing a thousand glittering paths to improvement.

But she had to see if it worked, first.

“Aani, you are sure about this?” Jhanda remarked. They eyed the glowing blue bottle in Aani’s hands warily.

Aani examined the swirling fluid in the bottle, recently dispensed from the shuddering contraption on the lab table. It had taken forever to distill it into a liquid instead of just thick, noxious fumes, but she had managed it. She didn’t dare add any type of flavoring, in case it affected the outcome. This was probably going to taste awful. “I’ve run as many calculations as I can, given that there is virtually no precedent for this, and it should work. Probably. And we have already established that you aren’t going to talk me out of this,” she added, sensing a protest from Jhanda.

Jhanda made a harumphing sound, an impressive feat considering they didn’t technically have lungs. “Yes, I am thoroughly aware. Even though you could seriously hurt yourself and don’t have an idea for a remedy besides something that could also seriously hurt you.”

Aani couldn’t come up with a reply for that, so she didn’t. Instead, she took a couple of bracing breaths, raised the flask, and swallowed some of the fluorescent liquid inside. 

It burned like cheap alcohol on the way down, and Aani coughed, then clutched at her nose as bits of energy fizzed in her nasal passages. Jhanda reached forward as if to begin drawing out the aether, and Aani held her hand up. 

“Fine,” She choked out. “I’m fine. Give it a minute.” She held onto the lab table for support until the coughing subsided, then straightened. She clenched and unclenched her fingers, drumming them against her palms in patterns of six and twelve as she waited. Suddenly, a cramping pain ran through her stomach as the aether hit it, and she doubled.

“Aani?” Jhanda said, alarmed.

Aani rushed for a trash receptacle and started vomiting.

Several hours later, when Jhanda had gotten out the worst of the aether and Aani had stopped heaving blue acid, she leaned against the back of her chair and groaned a little. “Jhanda?” she asked.

“Yes?” 

“Do you see that notebook on the table over there? Could you write something in it for me?”

“What do you want me to write? Jhanda was here? Jhanda saved Aani’s rear again? Aani is a stubborn idiot?” Jhanda snarked.

“Write down to dilute the mixture by at least twice as much next time, please.”

“Next time? Aani…” Jhanda sighed, though not without significant amusement to their voice.

Aani couldn’t help but laugh weakly. She was getting closer. She could already see the adjustments she’d need to make in her head. There was plenty of time until the Inventors’ Fair. She could do this.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short thing I felt like writing with some original characters! Might do more, depending on how much you guys like Aani and Jhanda, though I'm not currently planning on it.


End file.
